Listen Now

I will not be on the air next weekend, but I am tentatively scheduled to moderate a panel at Dreamhack Atlanta on November 19th and I have been once again selected as a host for Awesome Games Done Quick 2023 Online in January! The PlayStation VR 2 is releasing for $549.99 on February 22, 2023, and preorders will begin on November 15th. Apple is preparing their AR/VR push by hiring two of the three cofounders of mixed reality development studio Playdeo. Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida has stated that the cast of the game will not be diverse because, apparently, there were no diverse people in medieval Europe. Then we talk to Rob about pinball (yes, there's a reason) as well as his thoughts on Yoshi-P's statements.

We start off the show by remembering Rieko Kodama, one of the creative leads on the Phantasy Star series, as well as working on Skies of Arcadia. There was a major Esports event in Atlanta - League of Legends Worlds 2022 Semifinals - but you wouldn't have known it looking around town. Atlanta showed up, though, so maybe more events can happen in the Southeastern US. Physical copies of games are now just empty discs - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II has just an installer that downloads the 150GB game over the internet. Another game developer wishes they had done the same. Then we talk to Rob about physical games and also taking a break from everything for a weekend.

We finally delve into the Bayonetta 3 voice actor controversy, now that more information has been brought out from both sides. It's sad that there is a real conversation to be had regarding voice actors and their pay in the industry, but we wound up speaking about anything but that. A new company wants to become the Netflix of games - Netflix. Then we take calls about Bayonetta 3, because of course that's what people want to talk about this week.

We start off with some breaking news - G4 has closed up shop again. Mismanagement looks to be the root cause. Nvidia is "unlaunching" the RTX 4080 12GB because it is actually a different card than the RTX 4080 16GB and not just a memory upgrade. The Meta Quest Pro will be $1500 and is aimed at businesses and power users, not for everyday gamers. Microsoft's version of the HoloLens failed tests and soldiers don't want to actually use it yet. Then we take calls about G4's demise, Bayonetta 3 drama, and a little bit about Twitchcon.

We start with a little talk about TwitchCon as well as a dangerous situation that occurred there that we might be hearing about for a while. The best trailer I saw this week was not a movie, and it's very unexpected. Overwatch 2 requires a phone number to play - and it has to be a real one, not a pre-paid or VOIP number. This leaves many lower-income players out of the "free to play" game. The PlayStation VR2 is in "full production" and Sony is expecting to have 2 million units out at launch. No Man's Sky is launching on the Nintendo Switch and is adding fully customizable accessibility modes in it's 21st update after its launch six years ago. Then we talk about the Mario movie and hear a report from TwitchCon from OLR's Rob Roberts.

Google Stadia is shutting down in January of 2023. When it was announced, there was a curious display at GDC that foretold this end. That display was auctioned for charity. Ubisoft will transfer purchases of Stadia content to PC. Other developers reported that they were not told about the shutdown - even the day before. Then we talk to Rob about E3 2023 and TwitchCon next week - where I am not going but he is.

We start off with a viewer comment talking about why the PSVR2 won't be able to natively play PSVR1 titles, and questioning the idea that the tracking change is the reason. Streamer Bait Trombone Champ came out, and it is a really well made meme game that is probably more fun to watch than it is to play. Nvidia says that "Moore's Law Is Dead", which is why new GPU prices will be even higher than before. Then we talk to Rob about new graphics cards and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, which is now on Xbox Game Pass.

A bunch of new games were announced this week with several direct-to-consumer showcases. Yakuza is changing its name to Like A Dragon - which is actually what the series name is in Japan. Theatrhythm is finally coming to the Switch! Suikoden I and II are being remastered so more people can finally play them on modern hardware. Rare has announced that Goldeneye will be coming to the Nintendo Switch Online N64 Pack as well as to Xbox Game Pass, but only one platform will have online multiplayer. Videos, screenshots, and some source code of Grand Theft Auto VI were leaked, and the hacker wants "to make a deal." EVGA will be exiting the GPU business after a rocky relationship with Nvidia. Sony has announced that PlayStation VR 2 will not be backwards compatible with PlayStation VR 1 games, and while it sucks, it does make sense from a technical standpoint. Then we talk to Rob about all of the recent game announcements.

We start by remembering a professional friend of mine who we lost this month - Mike Fahey of Kotaku. We talk about how we would be the two press representatives at Atlanta events in the late 2000's and how we helped out each other professionally and personally. We take some comments from the Discord server regarding issues with the Tilt Five AR headset that other people are seeing, as well as some clarifications at how it works. I went to Dragon Con and had a great time - although a lot of people brought home a really bad souvenir. I hosted several panels, including an amazing one with Master Daniel and Carlos Pesina of Mortal Kombat fame. Check it out on YouTube! Awesome Games Done Quick 2023 will be online due to wanting to not hold their event in Florida. Sony has rejected Microsoft's offer to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles for three extra years, calling it inadequate. Then we talk to Rob about him beating my high scores, Dragon Con, and Disney Dreamlight Valley.

I will be moderating SIX PANELS at Dragon Con!! Sony is raising the price of the PS5 in some territories, but not in the US. The reviews for Saints Row are out, and their "meh"ness has caused the Embracer Group stock price to tank. A new leak suggests that Microsoft will allow friends to also share Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and not just family. Then we talk to Rob about Gamescom trailers to watch and Dragon Con.

I'm moderating and speaking on SIX PANELS at Dragon Con in Atlanta! Come find me in the app! I got the Tilt Five AR Glasses that I kickstarted in 2019 and it's pretty rough right now - but nothing that can't be remedied with some more time in development. The Sega Genesis Mini 2 game list has been announced, and there's a lot of good ones on it. However, the Working Designs games like the Lunar series won't be on the US system due to localization issues. Then we talk to Rob about Dragon Con.

Unity gets a contract with the Department of Defense and employees aren't happy. Mobile ad company AppLovin wants to purchase Unity so it won't merge with ironSource. (This was turned down after the show was recorded.) Microsoft claims that Sony is blocking titles from being on Game Pass. Microsoft also claims that Activision does not release "unique" games. Then we talk to Rob about a book I found in my childhood home from 1984 that teaches BASIC programming to kids using a novel where you're a computer hacker.

VRChat has pushed a security update that adds the Easy Anti-Cheat tool and bans all mods, many of which were used by people to make VRChat more accessible to them. Meta has raised the price of the Quest 2 by $100. A N*T seller was suspended from the Gamestop marketplace because he stole open source games and sold them for thousands of dollars without licensing them. Arcade1up has announced a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 cabinet at EVO. Then we talk a little bit about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Wave 2 courses and Arcade1up cabinets. At the end, there is a very personal message. Thank you for being part of this for me. Love you, Mom.

It's literally the 17th Anniversary of this podcast - Episode 1 aired live on July 24, 2005 using Shoutcast Internet Radio and an IRC chat room, and has evolved into a Twitch video show 816 episodes later. Thank you for being a part of it! One of the two panels I hosted at the Southern-Fried Gaming Expo is now on YouTube - Explaining Speedrunning With Silent Hill 4: The Room Featuring AnEternalEnigma! There were three games that came out this week that I wanted to talk about: The Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels expansion came out, and it's as fun as you'd expect - even more fun than the actual Hot Wheels game! Indie darling Stray is out, and while it had the makings of a personal GOTY, it fell a little bit short for me. And then Live A Live, the 2D-HD remake of a 1994 SNES classic that never made it out of Japan, is actually a really good time. LEGO is releasing an Atari 2600 next month, and I might need it. Then we talk to OLR about yet another No Man's Sky update.

I spent the weekend at the Southern Fried Gaming Expo playing arcades and pinball games! I also hosted two panels, one of which about speedrunning will be hitting YouTube soon. Unity has merged with ironSource, a known adware provider. They are doing this because they need to be able to generate revenue so their investors will stop suing them. Then we have open discussion about E3 being taken over by ReedPOP, and the current state of the G4 TV network compared to when I was involved with it. PROGRAMMING NOTE: DURING THIS EPISODE I REFER TO TAKING A WEEK OFF. PLANS HAVE CHANGED. Due to medical conditions and quarantine, we have opted to move our trip to the following weekend, so there WILL be a live show on July 24th on the 17th anniversary of this podcast, and there will NOT be a live show on July 31st.

I'm going to be at Southern Fried Gaming Expo next weekend and I am hosting two panels/events on Saturday evening! A runner faked a portion of their remote speedrun on SGDQ last week, and I'm not surprised at who did it. It looked like the trademark for the Intellivision Amico was abandoned, but it turns out it wasn't - doesn't give us any hope for a release, though. Meta announced that Facebook will not be required to use a Quest VR headset starting next month. Then we talk to Rob a little bit about my past in music writing (which will be elaborated on in a future episode) as well as thoughts on E3 2023 being run by ReedPOP.

I attended my first in person speedrunning marathon - Summer Games Done Quick 2022 - where over $3 million was raised for Doctors Without Borders. I talk about what it's like to attend the week long event, more than what you see on the stream. I go through my four runs that I hosted, and what worked well with them. Then we talk to Rob about other runs at GDQ as well as what news we might have missed while out.

I'm hosting at Summer Games Done Quick NEXT WEEK - no show on June 26th, but I should be back on July 3rd, airlines willing. Diablo Immortal sales numbers are in, and they went as predictably as expected. Nintendo is allegedly phoning YouTube cover artists telling them to remove their music covers of popular Nintendo tracks. Then we take calls about Tunic, old school gaming manuals, and Orange Lounge Radio's 20th anniversary next week while I'm at SGDQ.

I'm hosting at Summer Games Done Quick 2022 in two weeks - hear me on Monday morning and Tuesday afternoon! Even though there was no big industry trade show, Geoff Keighley put on Summer Games Fest and showed off a bunch of new game trailers - with lots of horror games. Geoff revealed at the end that the 2023 event will include an in-person component, and there's a very interesting reason as to why. Devolver Digital did what Devolver Digital does - but they probably had the best game I had seen all weekend in between Suda51 as a mech destroying the world. (Every word of that sentence is 100% true.) At the Xbox Bethesda Showcase, games releasing in the next 12 months were shown - many of which coming to Xbox Game Pass. The big blockbuster announcement is the partnership with Riot Games - League of Legends and Valorant will be coming with all champions unlocked to Game Pass. But Bobby's favorite announcement was that all of the good Persona games were coming to Windows and Xbox Game Pass - but was saddened to hear it includes Persona 3 Portable and not Persona 3 FES. Then we talk to Rob about the showcases as well as Hideo Kojima announcing he was working with Microsoft to specifically use their cloud technology.

Sega has announced the Mega Drive Mini 2 in Japan, which contains Sega CD games as well as more Genesis games. This is not a Dreamcast Mini because of the high cost of components - whereas the Mega Drive Mini 2 has many of the same components as the existing Mega Drive Mini. Diablo Immortal will not launch in Belgium or The Netherlands due to those countries' laws about lootboxes. Earlier this year, however, a court in The Netherlands overturned a fine against EA over the FIFA Ultimate Team lootboxes. There is now a concerted effort among 18 EU countries asking for regulation on lootboxes from the EU as a whole. Then we talk to Rob about if we'd name our kid after a video game. (No, really...)